Aubrey continued to pace the hallway. She knew she was being ridiculous, she'd been out here for a good ten minutes now without mustering up the courage to knock on the door.
This was stupid. They were both consenting adults, they'd been dancing around this long enough. And she knew she'd been neglecting their relationship, whatever it was, for the past year or so. But she was here and she was going to knock on the door and ask Stacie out. Any minute. She just needed to knock on the door.
She lifted her hand to do just that and then lowered it again, walking two steps away from the door, groaning. She couldn't do it. This was insane. She hadn't had an actual conversation with Stacie for the longest time. They texted, mostly on the Bella group chat, and rarely interacted directly. With Chloe and Beca in New York, the rest of the girls hadn't been that great at seeing each other, even though Stacie and Aubrey still lived in Atlanta.
She sighed and looked back at the door. She felt pathetic, standing outside her crush's apartment not being able to knock on the door because she was scared shitless about the possibility of being happy. Or about the possibility of being rejected. She was pretty sure Stacie wasn't seeing anyone, at least not seriously, the last time anyone asked her about it she said she wasn't. But that didn't mean she'd jump at the chance to go out with her.
She decided to leave, maybe return some other time. Some time when she wasn't feeling so insecure about this.
The door opened suddenly and Stacie came out, still putting on her jacket, and smiled when she saw Aubrey. "Bree!" She stepped forward and hugged her. "I'm so glad you're here."
"Oh." Aubrey was surprised by Stacie's effusiveness. Suddenly she felt Stacie start crying against her and she tightened her arms around her. "Hey." She ran her fingers down Stacie's hair. This was definitely not what she'd expected when she'd set out to visit Stacie. "What's wrong?"
Stacie let out a loud sob and pulled back shaking her head before collapsing against Aubrey again.
"Do you wanna go inside?" Stacie nodded against her and Aubrey ushered her in, sitting down on the couch and rubbing her back. "It's gonna be okay, I'm here."
Aubrey looked around the room. She'd never been inside Stacie's apartment, or her room at the Bella house. It looked cozy and lived in but not in a messy way. It felt like a home, something she'd never been able to do with her own apartment.
Stacie started breathing more evenly, occasionally sniffling, but she was done sobbing. After a few minutes she burrowed closer to Aubrey and shook her head. "I'm pregnant."
"You're-" Aubrey froze. "Wow. I mean…" She opened and closed her mouth at a loss for words. "What are you-" Aubrey really didn't know what to ask so she just closed her mouth, her hand still rubbing circles against Stacie's back.
"I'm such a mess." Stacie sat back and wiped her cheeks looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I think it's the hormones. I just-" She took a deep breath. "I mean." She shrugged helplessly. "I guess I'm old enough to be a mom. I have a job, I could probably support this kid, but what kind of mom am I going to be. I don't even know who the father is."
Aubrey took Stacie's hand. "You wanna keep it?"
"I think so?" She shrugged. "I just don't know if I can do it."
This was most definitely not what she'd expected when she decided to come, but she was here now and her friend needed her. "We'll figure it out." Aubrey cupped her cheek, knowing she'd probably regret this. "I'll help."
"You will?" Stacie looked so hopeful it broke Aubrey's heart so she just nodded. Stacie's smile got wider and she hugged Aubrey again. "You're the best."
Aubrey opened the door and carried the bags into the kitchen. "I'm here!"
She started taking everything out, grabbing the ice cream and turning to put it into the freezer when a hand reached out and stopped her, taking it from her hand and kissing her cheek. "Thank you."
Aubrey tried not to blush. She was getting used to Stacie's overly affectionate ways and she knew they didn't mean anything, it was just how she was.
"Did you bring-" She heard Stacie continue to rummage through the bags. "Yes!"
Aubrey turned, scrunching up her nose as Stacie took out a pickle from a jar and dipped it into the ice cream. "You're gross."
Stacie smiled and rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to say that to a pregnant woman."
"I went shopping for you, I'm allowed to say whatever I want." Aubrey moved Stacie and grabbed the rest of the stuff, putting it away.
"Do you wanna watch a movie?" Stacie asked, taking the pickle jar and the pint of ice cream to the living room with her.
"Be right there." Aubrey replied absentmindedly as she finished with the groceries. "Have you had any actual food today?"
"I had some grilled chicken earlier." Stacie smiled when she saw Aubrey coming out of the kitchen. "And yes, I've been taking my vitamins."
"Good."
Aubrey sat down at the opposite end of the couch from Stacie, smiling up at her when she put the ice cream on the table and stretched out, her feet moving to Aubrey's lap. Aubrey covered Stacie's feet with her hands, rubbing her soles firmly with her hands and doing her best to ignore the moan that Stacie let out.
She knew this was weird. She'd been spending a lot of time with Stacie since she'd told her she was pregnant. She'd gone with her to her first ultrasound, and went grocery shopping for her a few times a week even though Stacie had told her she was perfectly capable of doing it herself.
She was aware that she was probably overdoing it considering Stacie was just entering her second trimester and her baby bump was not really that big. But she'd promised Stacie she'd help.
The only bad consequence of her spending this much time with Stacie was that it had only made her like her more, and not in an innocent friendly way. Besides, Stacie wasn't making it easy with how much she liked to hug Aubrey and cuddle with her, and all the practice she had from living with Chloe for four years hadn't prepared her for this. Chloe didn't make her feel all warm and tingly inside when she hugged her.
Still, she knew that whatever she was feeling wasn't important. Stacie was growing a human being inside her and the last thing she needed was Aubrey complicating things with her feelings. She was content with being here for Stacie.
Stacie took her feet back and sat up, taking a bite of her pickle before turning and laying her head on Aubrey's lap. "How was work?"
"Hmm." Aubrey shrugged and ran her fingers down Stacie's hair. "I'm really glad I don't have to go tomorrow."
"Weekends are the best." Stacie yawned, pressing her face against Aubrey's leg. "I might not make it through the movie."
"Go to bed then. I'll call you tomorrow."
Stacie shook her head and grabbed Aubrey's hand, linking their fingers. "Sleep over."
"What?" Aubrey squeaked.
"Stay." Stacie sat up and leaned against Aubrey's side. "I wanna cuddle."
This was so not fair. "Okay."
From that day, sleeping over became a regular thing for Aubrey. But sleeping with Stacie, however innocent it was, had made one thing clear: she was in love with her. She couldn't keep denying it anymore. Every touch from Stacie filled her with a bittersweet feeling of happiness but, at the same time, wanting more.
She never offered to stay, she waited for Stacie to ask her, not because she didn't want to, but because it made her feel less like she was taking advantage of the situation. Which she knew she was in a way. Stacie only wanted someone to keep her company, to be her friend while she dealt with her pregnancy, and Aubrey was using that as an excuse to spend more time with her.
The mornings after she stayed over at Stacie's were Aubrey's favorite. The moment she'd wake up with Stacie's arms around her and their legs tangled together. It felt right.
Sometimes Stacie would wake up before she did and she would pull her closer, nuzzling the back of her head. She'd smile at Aubrey when she opened her eyes and turned in her arms in a way that always took Aubrey's breath away and made her feel an ache at the pit of her stomach.
One of these times Stacie had looked her straight in the eye, the corner of her mouth twisting up and her eyes shining warmly, and she'd whispered she loved her. And even though Aubrey knew she didn't mean it how she wanted her to mean it, she still felt like her heart was exploding.
She was skirting dangerous territory and it wasn't going to get easier, but she kept telling herself she could live like this, be in Stacie's life even if it wasn't the way she really wanted it to be. She had convinced herself she was truly okay with this arrangement until that one night in the middle of Stacie's last trimester.
Stacie had asked her to stay, like she had a lot of other nights, and everything seemed fine with her. She'd been staying a lot more often lately, Stacie was huge and had been getting increasingly needy as her due date approached.
After watching TV for a while, Stacie had gone to bed and Aubrey stayed behind to clean up the kitchen, leaving Stacie time to change and go through her nightly routine without being in the way and ensuring the bathroom was clear by the time she was ready to go to bed.
Stacie was lying on her back staring at the ceiling when Aubrey joined her in bed. As Stacie got bigger, Aubrey had shifted to the role of big spoon, and turned to wrap her arms around the other girl when she saw her stiffen and move away.
"Don't touch me."
Aubrey frowned, by now she was used to Stacie's mood swings so she didn't take it too personally. She turned onto her back and crossed her arms to keep herself from reaching out. "Do you want me to leave?"
"No." Stacie replied immediately.
"Okay…" Aubrey sighed. "Is there anything you need?" Stacie didn't answer right away and she was biting her lip when Aubrey turned to look at her. "Stace?"
Aubrey scooted closer and tentatively placed her hand on Stacie's elbow. "Aubrey, I'm serious. Don't."
Aubrey took her hand away as if she'd burned herself. "I'm sorry."
Stacie looked at her and groaned. "No, I'm sorry, I just-" She let out a loud breath. "I need some water."
She stood up and walked out of the room, way faster than she usually moved, and Aubrey jumped up to chase after her. "Stacie, I can get you water." She caught up with Stacie in the kitchen and watched as she filled up a glass and gulped it down. "Slow down, you're gonna make yourself sick."
Stacie threw her a look as she put the glass down and left the kitchen, heading straight for the couch and curling up in a corner.
"Stacie, what are you doing?" She sat down next to Stacie, making sure there was a wide enough space between them so she wouldn't touch Stacie accidentally. "I can go home."
"That might be best." Stacie said finally, not looking at Aubrey.
"Okay." Aubrey reminded herself that it wasn't personal and she shouldn't feel bad about this. She leaned a little closer to Stacie. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"
Stacie looked at her, her mouth slightly open, and then leaned forward. She pressed her lips against Aubrey's, tentatively but firmly. Aubrey returned the kiss, her hand reaching out to cup Stacie's cheek, and letting Stacie deepen the kiss. She took a deep breath against Stacie and it felt like the first real breath she'd taken.
She scooted closer to Stacie, the kiss getting more desperate as Stacie's hands travelled up her thigh. Stacie pulled on her lower lip with her teeth and Aubrey moaned, the noise seemingly making Stacie realize what was happening and she jumped up.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." She covered her mouth and shook her head. "I didn't mean- I mean- the hormones made me super horny and I-"
Aubrey's face fell. Of course this was about the hormones and not about them.
"No, no, wait, no." Stacie sat back down and took Aubrey's hands. "It wasn't- shit!"
"Stacie, it's okay. You don't have to explain. I'm fine." Aubrey shook her head even though she felt a knot forming in her throat.
"No, I do, because it wasn't a hormonal thing." She shook her head. "Well it was partly, but I want you so much, and I love you, god I love you."
"I know. We're friends. I love you too," Aubrey said robotically.
"No, I love you." Stacie emphasized the word love. "But I'm pregnant." Stacie tilted Aubrey's head up. "My life's a fucking mess right now, I'm going to be someone's mom. That's probably not a good enough excuse but I don't know if I can do that and be what you need. And when we get together, if we do, I want to do it right. I want to take you out and look hot and not cry out of nowhere or have to get up to pee every five minutes." Aubrey half smiled at that. "Maybe later, once this baby is out, you won't even want me, but I need to be okay with myself and my life before I can even try this. I don't want to screw us up." She looked away from Aubrey and swallowed. "I know I've been selfish and I've been taking advantage of you and I totally get it if you don't want to come over anymore."
"Hey." Aubrey ran her hand up Stacie's arm, waiting until she looked at her before she continued. She was trying to get a handle on her own emotions, she understood that Stacie wasn't in the right headspace at the moment to start something with her, but that still didn't mean her words hadn't made her feel hopeful about whatever would happen in the future. "I get it, it's complicated and being in a new relationship isn't something you can handle right now."
"That's not-"
Aubrey squeezed her hand to stop her protest. "It's fine, Stace. I can wait."
Stacie grinned. "You can?"
Aubrey nodded. She'd waited a while already, and at least now she knew she had a shot. "In the meantime…" She scooted closer to her. "I'm here for whatever you need." Her hand travelled up to Stacie's neck, pulling her forward. "Anything."
"Oh?" Stacie kissed her softly. "Anything?"
Aubrey smiled, kissing the corner of Stacie's mouth. "I told you I'd help you get through this." She ran her hand up Stacie's thigh, her hand sneaking under her sleeping shorts. "Those pregnancy books I read said that the increased blood flow to your genital area makes you orgasms more intense."
Stacie chuckled, turning her head and capturing Aubrey's lips. "I love it when you talk dirty."
Aubrey rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying that you shouldn't expect sex to be as good afterwards."
"Sex with me is always awesome." Stacie sat up and straddled Aubrey. "And I'm going to look way hotter later."
Aubrey smiled warmly, her hands moving behind Stacie to rub her back. "You're plenty hot right now."
Stacie winked. "Kinky."
Aubrey laughed. She had worried that this would be awkward or too emotionally charged after their talk, but it was the exact opposite.
Aubrey ran her thumb up the front of Stacie's shorts making her shudder and moan. "Did the books say anything else about sex?"
Aubrey blushed despite the fact that Stacie had been on top of her for a while now. "Well, some suggested a few positions that might make it more comfortable for you."
"Like what?"
Aubrey ran her middle finger between Stacie's legs over her shorts. "This works. You on top."
Stacie grabbed the back of the couch, her hips rocking whenever Aubrey ran her finger against her, and kissed her deeply. Her breaths got louder as Aubrey's hand continued to move and she pulled back from the kiss.
Aubrey trailed a line of kisses to Stacie's jaw making her whimper. "Bree, it's gonna be really embarrassing if I come with my shorts on."
Aubrey chuckled and pushed Stacie up. "Shirt."
Stacie pulled her top over her head as Aubrey pulled down her shorts and her underwear. Aubrey kissed her belly a few times, her lips lingering on Stacie's skin, before she pulled her back onto her lap. Her hand moved back between her legs, her fingers gliding over her bundle of nerves.
"How's that?"
Stacie had her eyes closed and was biting her lip hard. She nodded quickly and looked down at Aubrey. "Don't stop."
Aubrey watched Stacie's brow furrow. She'd let go of her lower lip and her mouth was hanging open, soft moans escaping at regular intervals. Aubrey ran her free hand up Stacie's side, holding onto her waist and guiding her.
After some time, Stacie closed her eyes tight and threw her head back, her fingers pressing into Aubrey's shoulders as she let out a long, loud moan.
Aubrey slowed her fingers feeling Stacie tremble against her, until she fell limply forward. "The books were right." Aubrey smiled, kissing Stacie's shoulder. "Did they say anything about you going down on me?"
Aubrey smirked. "It's fine as long as I don't blow into you."
Stacie got up, pulling Aubrey with her. "Bedroom?"
"Hey, I just talked-"
"Shhhh!" Aubrey glared at Stacie and then pointed at the girl in the crib. "I finally got her to sleep."
Stacie smiled softly. She wrapped her arms around Aubrey's waist, pressing herself against her back and looking over her shoulder at the sleeping 6 month old. "She's so cute."
"Well, she is your kid." Aubrey tugged on Bella's blanket even though she'd already tucked her in before Stacie arrived, and turned in Stacie's arms, feeling her breath catch in her throat when she noticed the love-filled gaze from the other girl.
Stacie let go of Aubrey and stepped back, taking her hand and leading her out of the room. She left the door open a crack and continued to the living room, sitting down without letting go of Aubrey's hand.
"I called my mom and she said she can look after Bella tomorrow." Stacie looked down at their joined hands and ran her thumb along Aubrey's index finger.
"I could've stayed with Bella if you wanted to go out," Aubrey said with a frown. "You know I don't mind."
Stacie rolled her eyes and looked up at Aubrey. "That wouldn't have worked since I want you to come with me."
"Oh?" Aubrey tilted her head and pursed her lips. "Where are we going?"
"It's cute how oblivious you are sometimes." Stacie chuckled and scooted closer. "We're going out. On a date."
"We are?" Aubrey smiled shily.
They hadn't really talked about their relationship in the months after Bella's birth. Aubrey had wanted to give Stacie as much time as she needed to figure things out and had been happy to help her out with the baby. She still spent some nights at Stacie's, at her request, but they had stopped having sex when Bella was born.
"Unless you don't want to anymore?" Stacie said, looking hopefully up at Aubrey.
"I do!" Aubrey hurried to reply and let go of Stacie's hand. She traced her fingers lightly up her arm to her shoulder, letting her hand rest there. "Where are we going?"
"Well." Stacie grabbed Aubrey's waist and pulled her closer, hooking her leg over Aubrey's. "I made a reservation for dinner at that new french place you mentioned and I was thinking maybe we could make out in my car for a while."
"That sounds like a great plan," Aubrey said, biting her lip and looking down at Stacie's mouth.
"Maybe we can start practicing for that last bit." Stacie brushed her fingers along the hem of Aubrey's shirt and leaned closer. Her lips were about to reach Aubrey when they heard Bella start fussing over the baby monitor.
Aubrey pulled back, pushing Stacie back down when she started to get up. "I've got her." She got up, leaning down to kiss Stacie softly before making her way to the nursery.
Stacie sat back with a huge smile on her face that only got wider when she heard Aubrey start cooing softly at Bella to calm her down. It had taken her some time to find her footing as a new mom. She tried to depend on Aubrey as little as possible, at least when it came to taking care of the baby, and she'd quickly settled into a routine after she went back to work and Bella started going to daycare.
Aubrey still visited almost every day, and Stacie knew she couldn't have gotten through this without her emotional support. But seeing her interact with Bella had confirmed that Aubrey was, and had always been, the right choice.
The only thing that had kept her from finally asking Aubrey out was the fact that she didn't feel as hot as she did before the baby. She'd been exercising and had lost all the baby weight, and she knew Aubrey probably wouldn't care too much about that, but she wanted to wow her.
"She's down again." Aubrey squeezed Stacie's shoulder as she made her way around the couch. "Do you want me to stay?"
Stacie grabbed her when she walked in front of her and pulled her forward, pressing her forehead against her stomach. "Always." She smiled when she felt Aubrey comb her fingers through her hair. "But you should get a good night's sleep tonight so you're ready for our date tomorrow. Wouldn't want you to doze off in the middle of it."
"Are you going to doze off in the middle of it?" Aubrey tickled Stacie's neck.
"No way." Stacie smiled up at Aubrey, closing her eyes as the blonde brushed her hair away from her forehead and cupped her cheek.
"See you tomorrow then," Aubrey said.
Stacie nodded, turning her head and kissing Aubrey's palm. "I'll pick you up at seven."
Stacie pushed her boobs up before knocking on the door. She'd spent most of the day picking her outfit, she didn't want to wear something too revealing but she still wanted to flaunt her assets, especially now that her boobs were a size bigger. She'd gone with a burgundy dress with a plunging neckline that showed off just enough cleavage but had a wide skirt that ended just above her knees.
Aubrey's eyes widened when she opened the door, darkening lustily as they roamed over Stacie's figure. "Wow."
Stacie smiled at her reaction and stepped up to her, admiring the tight, blue halter top dress Aubrey was wearing. Her smile widened as she wrapped her arm around Aubrey's waist and felt her bare back under her fingers. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you." Aubrey blushed and gave her a shy smile. She stepped onto her toes and kissed Stacie's cheek softly. "Shall we go?"
Stacie nodded, leaning down and brushing their lips together before leading Aubrey down to her car. "Mind if I call my mom real quick to check on Bella?"
"Of course not." Aubrey smiled at Stacie, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
Stacie threw a smile Aubrey's way as her mom's voice came out of the car speakers. "Hey, Ma. Just wanted to make sure everything's fine with Bells."
"We're great, I just gave her a bottle and now we're playing with blocks."
"Hi, Mrs. Conrad." Aubrey called out.
"Hi, Aubrey. Hope you liked Stacie's dress, she was worried."
"Mom!" Stacie protested and Aubrey heard a chuckle from the other side of the line.
"She looks gorgeous," Aubrey assured her, smiling fondly at Stacie.
"Have fun on your date, don't worry about us," Stacie's mom said cheerily. "I have some experience taking care of kids, and Bella doesn't give me half the trouble you and your brothers did."
Stacie pouted, making Aubrey laugh. "We will, thank you Mrs. Conrad."
Aubrey ended the call and tugged on Stacie's hand to get her attention. "Do you wanna go home and order in? I don't mind."
Stacie smiled and kissed the back of Aubrey's hand. "I love you for offering but I want to take you out and have fun."
"If you're sure…" Aubrey studied her for a few more seconds. "But just for future reference, I don't mind staying home with Bella and having our date there."
Stacie pulled over on the street closest to the restaurant and turned to Aubrey, quickly getting rid of her seatbelt so she could lean across and kiss her. "I hope this place is as good as the reviews cause I'm starving."
Aubrey snickered. "I love you."
"Yeah?" Stacie smirked when Aubrey nodded. "I love you, too."
They'd said the words plenty of times, sometimes just as friends, other times with a deeper meaning, but they felt way more significant now. The way she was feeling now would've scared her to death a couple years ago, but everything in her life was slowly coming together, and finally being with Aubrey was the last piece.
"Let's go eat," Stacie said with a huge grin.
The restaurant was great, and Stacie enjoyed her food even more since she'd been very mindful about what she ate trying to get back to her pre-pregnancy figure. Aubrey laughed as Stacie finished her dessert and started digging into hers.
"This is so good," Stacie said.
Aubrey shook her head and reached out to wipe chocolate from her cheek. "I don't know how you still have room for that."
"There's always room for dessert," Stacie replied matter of factly. "Do you want anything else?"
"I'm good." She grabbed Stacie's hand after she asked for the check and smiled. "I'm having a great time."
"We should do this more often." Stacie quickly grabbed the check and slipped her card in the leather folder before Aubrey could even think about reaching for her purse. "We should probably find a proper babysitter though. My mom's great and all, but I'd rather her not being there every time we get home."
"Stace," Aubrey scrunched up her nose and grimaced as she tried to find the words she wanted. "What are we- I mean, how-?" She stopped frustrated. "What are we doing?"
"We're dating? Maybe it's a little more formal than dating? I don't know." Stacie turned to take her card back and sign the receipt. "I just know that I love you and my kid loves you and I want you in our lives. But we don't have to be anything you don't want us to be."
"I want to be your girlfriend," Aubrey said shily. "And then we'll see."
Stacie laced their fingers and stood up, tugging Aubrey up with her. "Okay, girlfriend."
Aubrey stopped in front of the airport and honked softly so Chloe would see her. The redhead smiled, waving at Aubrey, and approached the SUV, throwing her suitcase in the back. She opened the door but stopped short of getting in when she noticed the stuffed frog on the front seat.
"Sorry." Aubrey smiled apologetically and threw the frog onto Bella's car seat. "Bella tossed it over when I took her to daycare this morning."
Chloe arched an eyebrow and took her seat. "I didn't know you got an SUV."
"Yeah, it's easier with the car seat and the stroller." Aubrey shrugged and pulled out into traffic. "And it's great for taking stuff to the lodge too."
"Right." Chloe smirked. "I take it things are going well with Stacie then?"
"Yes." Aubrey smiled goofily. Her heart still fluttered when she thought about Stacie and their relationship, even after they'd been officially together for several months. "I didn't think I could love someone as much as I love them."
Chloe noticed the plural in Aubrey's sentence but decided not to comment on it. "I'm glad you're happy, Bree."
"I really am." Aubrey glanced at her and nodded. "How are things with the hobbit, has she pulled her head out of her ass yet?"
"I don't know what you mean by that," Chloe answered stubbornly even though they both knew it was a lie.
Aubrey rolled her eyes. "You should just tell her how you feel, look how well it worked out for me and Stacie."
"Yeah well, I don't think Beca's getting pregnant anytime soon." Aubrey glared at her and Chloe shrugged unapologetically. Chloe always teased Aubrey that she wouldn't have mustered up the courage to ask Stacie out if she hadn't gotten knocked up. "She's dating someone."
"That idiot," Aubrey grumbled.
"Hey!" Chloe chastised. "It's not like I've been celibate all this time."
"I wouldn't expect you to." Aubrey snorted. "I hope Beca realizes she's an idiot soon though."
"Yeah, me too," Chloe admitted. "So what's our plan? I know I said I didn't really care about what we did, but I was hoping we'd get time to pick up some pie from the diner we used to go to by Barden."
"Sure, we can stop by after we get Bella from daycare." Aubrey missed Chloe's lopsided smile as she looked at her side mirror to change lanes. "I don't really have anything planned though. Stacie said she'll make dinner tonight but we can do whatever you want tomorrow."
Aubrey parked on the street and took off her sunglasses. "Wanna come get Bella?"
"Sure." Chloe got out. "She looked so cute on that picture you sent the other day."
"She's adorable." Aubrey went into the building in front of them and they walked down a colorful hallway. "And so smart, it's insane. Hey, Chris."
"Aubrey, hi." The girl at the reception desk smiled at Aubrey and turned to call the attention of one of the caregivers so they got Bella.
"How was she? She was a little grumpy when I dropped her off this morning."
"We didn't have any problems. She ate well, took her nap a couple hours ago." The girl shrugged.
Chloe watched Aubrey's face light up when she spotted Bella being carried over from the other side of the room. The girl smiled when she spotted Aubrey and started squirming until she was close enough for Aubrey to take her.
"Hey, sweetie." Aubrey nuzzled Bella's cheek. "Thanks Chris, see you on Monday."
"Bye, Aubrey. Bye, Bella."
Bella wrapped her arms around Aubrey's neck and looked at Chloe suspiciously as they made their way back to the car. Chloe smiled at her. "Hi, Bella!"
The girl hid her face against Aubrey's neck. "She's shy at first, but she'll get used to you pretty quick."
Aubrey rubbed her back and expertly opened the door before Chloe could even offer to help. She sat Bella down on her car seat, making sure she was strapped in securely and blew a raspberry on her cheek, making the toddler laugh. "Let's go get auntie Chloe some pie."
"Is she asleep already?" Aubrey asked as Stacie returned to the living room.
"She was exhausted." Stacie settled on the couch, pulling Aubrey against her front and resting her chin on her shoulder. She smiled at Chloe who was sitting across from them on the floor in front of the coffee table. "Auntie Chloe over played her."
"I like being cool aunt Chloe," Chloe said with a satisfied smile, taking a sip from her glass of wine.
"I don't think anyone called you cool," Stacie countered mockingly.
Chloe ignored her and leaned back. "And look at you both, motherhood really suits you."
"Oh, I'm not-" Aubrey closed her mouth and frowned. She'd been mistaken for Bella's mom many times in the past, and every time she'd say she wasn't her mom, but she wasn't sure she could deny it anymore.
"Come on, Bree. You're Bella's mom too." Chloe rolled her eyes.
Aubrey looked at Stacie to gauge her reaction but she just kissed her cheek. "Don't look at me, I've been waiting for you to figure it out on your own."
"I'm a mom?" Aubrey asked still frowning.
"The best." Stacie squeezed her and Aubrey felt herself smile.
She suddenly straightened up and gasped. "What are we gonna tell Bella?"
"About what?" Stacie looked at Chloe for help but she shrugged.
"About me being her mom," Aubrey replied.
"Oh." Stacie laughed and pulled Aubrey against her again. "I'm sure she knows, babe."
Aubrey twisted her torso to look at Stacie. "You're okay with this?"
"Of course I am. We love you." Stacie kissed Aubrey's cheek. "Are you okay with this?"
"Yes, I just didn't think-" She grinned at Stacie. "I'm Bella's mom."
"You are." Stacie pecked her lips a few times. "Now we just need to get married."
"What!" Chloe screeched.
They both looked at her, a little startled since they'd both momentarily forgotten she was there. "That wasn't a real proposal." Stacie added quickly and then looked at Aubrey. "I'll do it right."
Aubrey couldn't stop herself from smiling at the thought. "I'll be waiting."